How to Do Smokey Eyes
By Lamyaa Aissi · Professional Makeup Artist, Casablanca
The smokey eye is the little black dress of makeup — always right for evenings, always requested for events, and endlessly adaptable from soft brown to jet black.
The whole trick is building darkness gradually from lash line upward, blending each layer before adding the next. Rushing the dark shades is what creates panda eyes.
What you'll need
- A quad of shades: light, medium, deep, and darkest (brown or black family)
- A kohl or gel liner you can smudge
- Blending brush, flat shader brush, and a smudger or cotton bud
Step 1: Prime and set the canvas
Primer set with a neutral powder shade keeps the coming dark shades blendable and prevents creasing through a long evening.
Step 2: Blend the medium shade through the crease
Windscreen-wiper the transition colour through the socket, going slightly higher than usual — the smoke needs room to fade out.
Step 3: Pack the deep shade on the lid
Press (don't sweep) the deep colour across the whole mobile lid with a flat brush, keeping the top edge soft against the transition.
Step 4: Darken from the lash line up
Apply the darkest shade along the upper lash line and outer corner, then blend upward so the colour is densest at the lashes and fades to nothing at the crease. This gradient is the 'smoke'.
Step 5: Smudge the lower lash line
Run the same deep shade under the lower lashes with a small brush, thicker at the outer corner, connecting at the outer V. Add kohl to the waterline and smudge the liner into the lash roots.
Step 6: Clean up and brighten
Sharpen the lower edge with concealer on a flat brush, add an inner-corner highlight, and finish with two coats of mascara — or lashes for events.
Pro tips from the chair
- Do the eyes before the base on a full smokey look — fallout cleanup becomes effortless.
- A brown smokey eye flatters daytime and lighter eyes; black is for evening drama. Plum and bronze smokes are stunning on North African skin tones.
- If the edge ever looks harsh, go back to the clean blending brush — never add more dark product to fix a blend.
Frequently asked questions
How do I stop the smokey eye creasing?
Primer, powdered base, and pressing shadows rather than sweeping. On oily lids, a long-wear cream shadow base under the powders makes it bulletproof.
Can hooded eyes wear smokey looks?
Absolutely — keep the darkest depth at the lash line, blend the smoke slightly higher than the natural fold, and keep the lower lash line strong so the shape reads with the eyes open.
Learn it hands-on in Casablanca
Reading only gets you so far — technique clicks when someone corrects your hand in real time. I teach one-on-one makeup lessons in Casablanca tailored to your face, your kit, and your skill level, from 600 MAD. Or if you'd rather have it done for you, book a session for your next event.
More guides: all tutorials · the full smokey eye masterclass · bridal makeup tutorial.